I did not write about infatuation. My response is inspired by Dr. Williamson's treatment of Fanny as an immigrant.
Family Relations and the Colonial Mindset
Family dynamics and the relationships among the inhabitants of Mansfield Park are very interesting. The nature of the relationship governing the family members is highly hierarchical. At the top of the hierarchy, we have Sir Thomas. After him comes his wife, Lady Bertram. Then their two boys starting with the eldest, Tom, who is supposed to inherit from his family and then Edmond. After the two boys come the Bertram girls Maria and then Julia. At the bottom of the hierarchy come Fanny and the servants after her.
Sir Thomas is the authoritarian father figure. He enjoys giving orders to regulating things at Mansfield Park. Furthermore, his work in the slave trade emphasizes the notion that he is the master of the house and everyone else is a follower. He likes having control and giving orders. Thus, when he leaves Mansfield Park to attend to his affairs in the British colony, Antigua, the “chaos” starts in Mansfield Park. While Sir Thomas is a loving father figure, he is very hesitant to show his affection. Maybe the only time we see him showing his affections towards Fanny is when Maria disappoints him and her family. He, then, looks at Fanny as replacement. One question that I would like to ask is if Sir Thomas’s reserved and strict nature the cause for Maria’s actions and downfall? Maria wanted a strong yet affectionate male figure in her life. While her father was a loving man, he did not show his affection in a constructive way. She treated his children coldly and demanded order all the time. He treated his own children as soldiers that need to listen and obey his orders. As a result, when Sir Thomas leaves to the Caribbean, the children are relieved to see him gone. His absence allows them some space to enjoy life and act their age.
Sir Thomas’s colonial views are obvious from his practice of slave trade in the Caribbean. He and his wife also consider Fanny as a colonized subject or an immigrant. They want to provide her with the education they choose. They also want to teach her how to act and speak properly, but they still do not consider her as one of them. She is never good enough to sleep in a decent room, like their daughter’s rooms. The only room they provide her with is one in the attic close to the servants’. This, I think, reflects the colonial attitudes of the British Empire at the time. The English colonized other countries imposing their language and education on the natives. Famous African writers such as Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong'o wrote about how they were not allowed to speak their own native language and were asked to speak English in schools and public places.
Similarly, when Fanny first comes to Mansfield Park, the family looks at her as if she were a savage, an uncivilized and uneducated person. They wanted to “refine” and “civilize” her. In addition, Fanny finds herself being used by Edmond and the family. When Edmond needs a friend and a companion, he resorts to Fanny. But when Mary Crawford is in the picture, he totally forgets about Fanny. In addition, Fanny’s aunts treat her almost like a servant, especially at the beginning of the novel. Despite all of the humiliation and exploitation that Fanny feels, she is expected to be grateful to the family that took her in and rescued her from poverty. Furthermore, when Fanny rejects Henry’s proposal, she is accused of being ungrateful and not knowing her own interest. Notably, Fanny is never treated as an adult or an equal to the family until the very end of the novel. Throughout the major part of Mansfield Park, Fanny is treated as someone who is incapable of making decisions for herself and some who needs to be saved, the same the early missionaries and colonists perceived the natives of any British colony.
Aishah Alreshoud
June 17, 14
I did not write about infatuation. My response is inspired by Dr. Williamson's treatment of Fanny as an immigrant.
Family Relations and the Colonial Mindset
Family dynamics and the relationships among the inhabitants of Mansfield Park are very interesting. The nature of the relationship governing the family members is highly hierarchical. At the top of the hierarchy, we have Sir Thomas. After him comes his wife, Lady Bertram. Then their two boys starting with the eldest, Tom, who is supposed to inherit from his family and then Edmond. After the two boys come the Bertram girls Maria and then Julia. At the bottom of the hierarchy come Fanny and the servants after her.
Sir Thomas is the authoritarian father figure. He enjoys giving orders to regulating things at Mansfield Park. Furthermore, his work in the slave trade emphasizes the notion that he is the master of the house and everyone else is a follower. He likes having control and giving orders. Thus, when he leaves Mansfield Park to attend to his affairs in the British colony, Antigua, the “chaos” starts in Mansfield Park. While Sir Thomas is a loving father figure, he is very hesitant to show his affection. Maybe the only time we see him showing his affections towards Fanny is when Maria disappoints him and her family. He, then, looks at Fanny as replacement. One question that I would like to ask is if Sir Thomas’s reserved and strict nature the cause for Maria’s actions and downfall? Maria wanted a strong yet affectionate male figure in her life. While her father was a loving man, he did not show his affection in a constructive way. She treated his children coldly and demanded order all the time. He treated his own children as soldiers that need to listen and obey his orders. As a result, when Sir Thomas leaves to the Caribbean, the children are relieved to see him gone. His absence allows them some space to enjoy life and act their age.
Sir Thomas’s colonial views are obvious from his practice of slave trade in the Caribbean. He and his wife also consider Fanny as a colonized subject or an immigrant. They want to provide her with the education they choose. They also want to teach her how to act and speak properly, but they still do not consider her as one of them. She is never good enough to sleep in a decent room, like their daughter’s rooms. The only room they provide her with is one in the attic close to the servants’. This, I think, reflects the colonial attitudes of the British Empire at the time. The English colonized other countries imposing their language and education on the natives. Famous African writers such as Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong'o wrote about how they were not allowed to speak their own native language and were asked to speak English in schools and public places.
Similarly, when Fanny first comes to Mansfield Park, the family looks at her as if she were a savage, an uncivilized and uneducated person. They wanted to “refine” and “civilize” her. In addition, Fanny finds herself being used by Edmond and the family. When Edmond needs a friend and a companion, he resorts to Fanny. But when Mary Crawford is in the picture, he totally forgets about Fanny. In addition, Fanny’s aunts treat her almost like a servant, especially at the beginning of the novel. Despite all of the humiliation and exploitation that Fanny feels, she is expected to be grateful to the family that took her in and rescued her from poverty. Furthermore, when Fanny rejects Henry’s proposal, she is accused of being ungrateful and not knowing her own interest. Notably, Fanny is never treated as an adult or an equal to the family until the very end of the novel. Throughout the major part of Mansfield Park, Fanny is treated as someone who is incapable of making decisions for herself and some who needs to be saved, the same the early missionaries and colonists perceived the natives of any British colony.